Partnership Helps Nextrials Expand Into Latin America and Provides ESTERN's Sponsors With Better Investigator Site Data and Cost Control

BOSTON, MA and SAN RAMON, CA--(Marketwire - Feb 7, 2012) - ESTERN Medical, a full-service contract research organization (CRO), and Nextrials, Inc., a leader in clinical research software and services, today announced a partnership that will significantly improve sponsor access to clinical trial data and provide better cost control. ESTERN sponsors electing to utilize Nextrials' Prism®, an electronic data capture (EDC) and clinical trial management platform, will now be able to take advantage of real-time access to investigator site data and Prism's easy-to-use tools that provide faster study starts, better adverse reporting and simplified integration with electronic health records (EHR).

As a lead innovator in the EDC industry, Nextrials is at the forefront of developing and improving the next generation of eclinical technology: the integration of EHR data with EDC utilizing the Retrieve Form for Data capture standard (RFD). Nextrials is the only company listed as a CDISC Registered Solutions Provider for EHR integration.

"As CROs and sponsors compete for clinical sites and trials become more costly and complex, technology tools such as Prism have never been more valuable," said Jorge Estrella MD, founder, president and chief medical officer, ESTERN Medical CRO. "Prism gives sponsors the ability to better manage and predict investigator site EDC data, logistics, management and costs, and can solve critical business challenges throughout the clinical research process."

Nextrials' award-winning Prism melds sophisticated clinical trial management functionality with EDC in a single, integrated package. By receiving a constant flow of data, Prism enables sponsors and sites to fully utilize real-time integration of disparate information and data sources, such as a hospital's EHR or patient records, to better provide a continuum of care for patients enrolled in clinical trials. This accelerates the time to market for new drugs and devices, improving trial safety and monitoring and substantially lowering development costs.

Prism has been globally deployed in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

"Nextrials and ESTERN are well-matched to assist even the smallest of research and development teams," said James Rogers, co-founder and CEO, Nextrials. "Since Prism can be implemented quickly and without the need for in-house IT staff, ESTERN sponsors regardless of size can take advantage of better data access and lower management costs. This partnership will also help Nextrials expand its service experience in emerging Latin American markets."

About ESTERNFounded in 2002 by research physicians and clinicians, ESTERN Medical CRO Corporation Group is one of the world's leading global full clinical research organizations. It conducts all phases of clinical trial development for global pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and academic/government institutions and companies across North America and Latin/South America. Headquartered in Boston, MA, ESTERN has operating offices on two continents and regional subsidiaries spread across Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Brazil and Argentina. For more information, visit www.esternmedical.com or call 617-395-0204.

About NextrialsFounded by pharmaceutical researchers in 1999, Nextrials offers today's most novel products and services for speeding the delivery of life-saving drugs and medical devices to market. Prism®, its award-winning Electronic Data Capture (EDC) solution, has been used at over 1,500 research sites to streamline the initiation and management of clinical trials. Nextrials has achieved the status of Registered Solutions Provider with the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC). The company is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay area. For more information, visit www.nextrials.com or call 925-355-3000.